New York, April 23 (RHC)-- The United States is not opposed to foreign banks doing business with Iran following Tehran's compliance with a historic nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says: "The United States is not standing in the way, and will not stand in the way, of business that is permitted in Iran since the (nuclear agreement) took effect.

John Kerry spoke with reporters, sitting alongside his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in a New York hotel on Friday. He insisted that "there seems to be some confusion" among foreign banks about doing business with Iran.

Observers pointed out that the arrogant attitude of the United States was clear in the secretary of state's comments, falling short of saying that Iran was being granted 'permission' to have business dealings with the rest of the world simply because Washington has given its blessing.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany -- reached the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in July 2015 in the Austrian capital Vienna. The agreement went into effect on January 16.

Top Iranian officials have said that the U.S. is not honoring its end of the nuclear accord. Iran has criticized Washington for refusing to grant it access to the global financial system. Tehran says such access is one of the goals of the nuclear deal, and has urged Washington to stop preventing non-American banks from dealing with Iran.